Online Searching

A Guide to Finding Quality Information Efficiently and Effectively

Karen Markey

Online Searching puts the aspiring librarian on the fast track to becoming an expert searcher who unites library users with trusted sources of information to answer their questions.

To accomplish this, it ushers you through online searching as a seven-step process: (1) determining what the user really wants in the reference interview, (2) identifying sources that are likely to produce relevant information for the user’s query, (3) dividing the query into big ideas and combining them logically, (4) hypothesizing whether a known item or a subject will satisfy the query, (5) representing the query as input to the search system, (6) conducting the search and responding strategically, and (7) displaying retrievals, assessing them, and responding tactically.

For key concepts, Online Searching enlists multimedia, representing visually what is difficult to convey via words alone. When you analyze Online Searching’s real search topics, search online, and compare your results with its suggested answers, you’ll experience the seven-step online searching process first-hand. Included are specific recommendations about what you should teach end users about online searching and a method for quickly and efficiently familiarizing yourself with a new database and search system.

Including short video demonstrations, Online Searching is your go-to guidebook for ramping yourself up from novice to expert searcher.« lessmore »

Karen Markey is a professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. Her experience with online searching began with the earliest commercial systems, DIALOG, Orbit, and BRS, the first end-user systems, CD-ROMs and online catalogs, and includes today’s open web search engines and proprietary systems for accessing databases of bibliographic records, abstracting & indexing entries, full texts, numeric data, and multimedia. Since joining the faculty at Michigan in 1987, she has taught online searching to thousands of students in her school’s library and information science (LIS) program. Her research has been supported by the Council on Library Resources, Delmas Foundation (DF), Department of Education (DoED), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Science Foundation (NSF), and OCLC. She is the author of five books, more than a dozen major research reports, and over one hundred journal articles and conference proceedings papers.

List of Figures and TablesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Online Searching in the Age of the Information ExplosionChapter 2. Accessing Scholarly, Professional, and Educational InformationChapter 3. The Reference Interview for In-Depth QueriesChapter 4. Selecting a Relevant DatabaseChapter 5. Pre-Search PreparationChapter 6. Controlled Vocabulary for Precision in Subject SearchesChapter 7. Free Text Searching for Recall in Subject SearchesChapter 8. Known-Item SearchingChapter 9. Databases for Assessing Research ImpactChapter 10. Search StrategiesChapter 11. Displaying and Assessing Retrievals and Responding Tactically to the Search Chapter 12. Performing a Technical Reading of a Database and Its Search SystemChapter 13. Interacting with Library UsersChapter 14. Online Searching Now and in the FutureGlossaryIndexAbout the Author

In her comprehensive primer to online searching, Markey provides readers with a detailed, step-by-step tour of how to search for information online. Although general Internet tools are discussed, the author emphasizes library-based resources, such as online catalogs, propriety databases, and licensed products. Markey does include chapters about the reference interview and interacting with patrons, but this is not a guide to providing reference services. Information literacy is discussed in general terms, yet the author frames reference interactions as situations in which librarians find information to answer patrons' questions, not necessarily to help them develop searching skills. Each chapter includes a number of questions designed for novice searchers to develop their own skills, as well as suggestions for further reading. Verdict: Library and information science (LIS) faculty who teach the fundamentals of searching online will find this text to be useful. However, they will want to discuss the various goals of reference transactions in different library settings. Librarians who provide instruction to non-LIS students might also find portions of this work helpful in terms of finding innovative ways to teach effective search strategies.— Library Journal

Our traditional models of accessing information - library catalogs and abstracting and indexing services - were developed to ease access to scholarly resources in the print era. In the digital era, new ways of getting to the resources are necessary. Karen Markey, who has analyzed access to database content as it has evolved over the past four decades, has written a textbook, Online Searching: A Guide to Finding Quality Information Efficiently and Effectively. Throughout, she emphasizes that librarians' unique contribution is their ability to access quality information from trusted sources. Typically, this material is not readily available on the open web but through licensed databases. Markey describes the types of databases and stresses the presearch preparations of the reference interview, the considerations of the facets of the topic to be searched, and the evaluation of the database to be used.— American Libraries

Anyone can Google and find some information or, more likely, too much information. Online Searching is the new go-to manual for librarians who are charged with finding the best information from the myriad online sources available today. This book focuses on mastering today’s information-rich environment and is a must for everyone who teaches or conducts online searches.— Carol Tenopir, Chancellor's Professor and Board of Visitors Professor, School of Information Sciences, College of Communication and Information, University of Tennessee

Online Searching: A Guide to Finding Quality Information Efficiently and Effectively fulfills the promise of its subtitle, equipping readers with the knowledge and skills needed to be expert intermediary searchers who can find quality information efficiently and effectively using both licensed databases and the open Web. The text is written in a clear, accessible style with numerous figures, tables, textboxes, questions (and answers), suggested readings, and a glossary supporting its use as a textbook to accompany a course on online searching or for self-study. Topics are well-chosen, covering in-depth discussion of each step in the search process, search strategies, and interacting with library users, as well as areas of emerging importance such as using databases to assess research impact.— Linda C. Smith, Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

These days, when there are billions of information searchers around the world, current and future librarians and other information professionalsmust be effective and efficient information finders. This book helps LIS practitioners, educators and students in achieving this.— Péter Jacsó, Professor, Library and Information Science Program, Department of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Hawaii

Karen Markey’s guide to effective and efficient searching addresses the information retrieval process both for novice and expert searchers within the context of information organization, controlled vocabulary, query formulation, searching strategies, and searching systems and interfaces. She provides tips for the various stages of the research itself, from pre-search preparation to database selection, from free text versus built-in descriptor usage. The book will help LIS students to develop searching competencies, will assist librarians enhance their information retrieval skills, will enable subject area specialists and domain experts become independent effective and efficient searchers. A must-have for anyone interested in polishing his/her online searching that will result in finding in-depth information for scholarly endeavors.— Hermina G.B. Anghelescu, Associate Professor, School of Library & Information Science, Wayne State University

Each chapter features questions and answers specific to the online searching concepts and practices described there that build incrementally so that searchers experience every step of the online searching process

Gives a brief history that looks backward at the factors that have given rise to online searching to harness the information explosion and forward to advances in new technology that have steered online searching onto its present course

Breaks online searching into a seven-step process and builds it back up, chapter by chapter, one step at a time

Illustrates searching online in over 75 figures that feature a wide range of licensed and open Web databases and search systems, both common, e.g., ProQuest’s ERIC and EBSCOhost’s PsycINFO, and specialized, e.g., SimplyMap from Geographic Research and Oxford Islamic Studies Online from Oxford University Press

Shows and tells how classifying databases based on subject, form, and genre help the aspiring expert searcher choose a relevant database for the user’s query

Introduces search strategies and tactics that expert searchers use to achieve specific search objectives and make on-the-spot adjustments to an on-going search when things don’t go as planned

Presents a ten-question technical reading of a database to enable the aspiring expert searcher to quickly and efficiently familiarize themselves with a new database and its search system

Recommends what librarians should teach end users about online searching based on the type of reference interview they conduct, i.e., face-to-face, phone, chat, texting, or email

Presentsside-by-side comparisons of various system’s searching languages, suggesting searchers use them as cheat-sheets, keeping them handy for ready reference and swapping in and out the specifics of their favorite system’s searching language

Gives real-life examples of how article- and journal-level metrics can be used to evaluate author publication records and journals

Uses over two dozen tables to summarize important and complex ideas about online searching, databases, conducting reference interviews, and teaching users about online searching

A systematic approach to learning about online searching that divides searching into seven steps, gives searchers the choice between six search strategies as the blueprint for conducting the online search at hand, familiarizes them with search tactics for making on-the-spot adjustments, and presents a ten-question method for becoming acquainted with a new database and its search system

Concludes with important online searching issues that are likely to shape online searching in the years to come and a wish list of improvements to today’s search systems and databases

Online Searching

A Guide to Finding Quality Information Efficiently and Effectively

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Summary

Online Searching puts the aspiring librarian on the fast track to becoming an expert searcher who unites library users with trusted sources of information to answer their questions.

To accomplish this, it ushers you through online searching as a seven-step process: (1) determining what the user really wants in the reference interview, (2) identifying sources that are likely to produce relevant information for the user’s query, (3) dividing the query into big ideas and combining them logically, (4) hypothesizing whether a known item or a subject will satisfy the query, (5) representing the query as input to the search system, (6) conducting the search and responding strategically, and (7) displaying retrievals, assessing them, and responding tactically.

For key concepts, Online Searching enlists multimedia, representing visually what is difficult to convey via words alone. When you analyze Online Searching’s real search topics, search online, and compare your results with its suggested answers, you’ll experience the seven-step online searching process first-hand. Included are specific recommendations about what you should teach end users about online searching and a method for quickly and efficiently familiarizing yourself with a new database and search system.

Including short video demonstrations, Online Searching is your go-to guidebook for ramping yourself up from novice to expert searcher.

Karen Markey is a professor in the School of Information at the University of Michigan. Her experience with online searching began with the earliest commercial systems, DIALOG, Orbit, and BRS, the first end-user systems, CD-ROMs and online catalogs, and includes today’s open web search engines and proprietary systems for accessing databases of bibliographic records, abstracting & indexing entries, full texts, numeric data, and multimedia. Since joining the faculty at Michigan in 1987, she has taught online searching to thousands of students in her school’s library and information science (LIS) program. Her research has been supported by the Council on Library Resources, Delmas Foundation (DF), Department of Education (DoED), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), National Science Foundation (NSF), and OCLC. She is the author of five books, more than a dozen major research reports, and over one hundred journal articles and conference proceedings papers.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

List of Figures and TablesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsChapter 1. Online Searching in the Age of the Information ExplosionChapter 2. Accessing Scholarly, Professional, and Educational InformationChapter 3. The Reference Interview for In-Depth QueriesChapter 4. Selecting a Relevant DatabaseChapter 5. Pre-Search PreparationChapter 6. Controlled Vocabulary for Precision in Subject SearchesChapter 7. Free Text Searching for Recall in Subject SearchesChapter 8. Known-Item SearchingChapter 9. Databases for Assessing Research ImpactChapter 10. Search StrategiesChapter 11. Displaying and Assessing Retrievals and Responding Tactically to the Search Chapter 12. Performing a Technical Reading of a Database and Its Search SystemChapter 13. Interacting with Library UsersChapter 14. Online Searching Now and in the FutureGlossaryIndexAbout the Author

Reviews

Reviews

In her comprehensive primer to online searching, Markey provides readers with a detailed, step-by-step tour of how to search for information online. Although general Internet tools are discussed, the author emphasizes library-based resources, such as online catalogs, propriety databases, and licensed products. Markey does include chapters about the reference interview and interacting with patrons, but this is not a guide to providing reference services. Information literacy is discussed in general terms, yet the author frames reference interactions as situations in which librarians find information to answer patrons' questions, not necessarily to help them develop searching skills. Each chapter includes a number of questions designed for novice searchers to develop their own skills, as well as suggestions for further reading. Verdict: Library and information science (LIS) faculty who teach the fundamentals of searching online will find this text to be useful. However, they will want to discuss the various goals of reference transactions in different library settings. Librarians who provide instruction to non-LIS students might also find portions of this work helpful in terms of finding innovative ways to teach effective search strategies.— Library Journal

Our traditional models of accessing information - library catalogs and abstracting and indexing services - were developed to ease access to scholarly resources in the print era. In the digital era, new ways of getting to the resources are necessary. Karen Markey, who has analyzed access to database content as it has evolved over the past four decades, has written a textbook, Online Searching: A Guide to Finding Quality Information Efficiently and Effectively. Throughout, she emphasizes that librarians' unique contribution is their ability to access quality information from trusted sources. Typically, this material is not readily available on the open web but through licensed databases. Markey describes the types of databases and stresses the presearch preparations of the reference interview, the considerations of the facets of the topic to be searched, and the evaluation of the database to be used.— American Libraries

Anyone can Google and find some information or, more likely, too much information. Online Searching is the new go-to manual for librarians who are charged with finding the best information from the myriad online sources available today. This book focuses on mastering today’s information-rich environment and is a must for everyone who teaches or conducts online searches.— Carol Tenopir, Chancellor's Professor and Board of Visitors Professor, School of Information Sciences, College of Communication and Information, University of Tennessee

Online Searching: A Guide to Finding Quality Information Efficiently and Effectively fulfills the promise of its subtitle, equipping readers with the knowledge and skills needed to be expert intermediary searchers who can find quality information efficiently and effectively using both licensed databases and the open Web. The text is written in a clear, accessible style with numerous figures, tables, textboxes, questions (and answers), suggested readings, and a glossary supporting its use as a textbook to accompany a course on online searching or for self-study. Topics are well-chosen, covering in-depth discussion of each step in the search process, search strategies, and interacting with library users, as well as areas of emerging importance such as using databases to assess research impact.— Linda C. Smith, Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

These days, when there are billions of information searchers around the world, current and future librarians and other information professionalsmust be effective and efficient information finders. This book helps LIS practitioners, educators and students in achieving this.— Péter Jacsó, Professor, Library and Information Science Program, Department of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Hawaii

Karen Markey’s guide to effective and efficient searching addresses the information retrieval process both for novice and expert searchers within the context of information organization, controlled vocabulary, query formulation, searching strategies, and searching systems and interfaces. She provides tips for the various stages of the research itself, from pre-search preparation to database selection, from free text versus built-in descriptor usage. The book will help LIS students to develop searching competencies, will assist librarians enhance their information retrieval skills, will enable subject area specialists and domain experts become independent effective and efficient searchers. A must-have for anyone interested in polishing his/her online searching that will result in finding in-depth information for scholarly endeavors.— Hermina G.B. Anghelescu, Associate Professor, School of Library & Information Science, Wayne State University

Each chapter features questions and answers specific to the online searching concepts and practices described there that build incrementally so that searchers experience every step of the online searching process

Gives a brief history that looks backward at the factors that have given rise to online searching to harness the information explosion and forward to advances in new technology that have steered online searching onto its present course

Breaks online searching into a seven-step process and builds it back up, chapter by chapter, one step at a time

Illustrates searching online in over 75 figures that feature a wide range of licensed and open Web databases and search systems, both common, e.g., ProQuest’s ERIC and EBSCOhost’s PsycINFO, and specialized, e.g., SimplyMap from Geographic Research and Oxford Islamic Studies Online from Oxford University Press

Shows and tells how classifying databases based on subject, form, and genre help the aspiring expert searcher choose a relevant database for the user’s query

Introduces search strategies and tactics that expert searchers use to achieve specific search objectives and make on-the-spot adjustments to an on-going search when things don’t go as planned

Presents a ten-question technical reading of a database to enable the aspiring expert searcher to quickly and efficiently familiarize themselves with a new database and its search system

Recommends what librarians should teach end users about online searching based on the type of reference interview they conduct, i.e., face-to-face, phone, chat, texting, or email

Presentsside-by-side comparisons of various system’s searching languages, suggesting searchers use them as cheat-sheets, keeping them handy for ready reference and swapping in and out the specifics of their favorite system’s searching language

Gives real-life examples of how article- and journal-level metrics can be used to evaluate author publication records and journals

Uses over two dozen tables to summarize important and complex ideas about online searching, databases, conducting reference interviews, and teaching users about online searching

A systematic approach to learning about online searching that divides searching into seven steps, gives searchers the choice between six search strategies as the blueprint for conducting the online search at hand, familiarizes them with search tactics for making on-the-spot adjustments, and presents a ten-question method for becoming acquainted with a new database and its search system

Concludes with important online searching issues that are likely to shape online searching in the years to come and a wish list of improvements to today’s search systems and databases